Pics: Arsenal boost as injured star seen in gym as he steps up recovery | OneFootball

Arsenal are presently in Dubai for warm-weather training, and they could be handed potential injury boosts ahead of their return to the United Kingdom later this week.

The Gunners travelled with injured trio Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Ben White, and they have provided an update on the England international forward.

Saka is stepping up his rehabilitation and recovery in the gym, and Arsenal have taken to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share pictures of their academy graduate working hard.

The 23-year-old picked up a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace on December 21, undergoing surgery some days later, and it is good to see him finally doing some work.

Arsenal were initially hoping to have Saka back in training by the final week of February with a view to having him available to play in March, but his lay-off could extend into April as he has yet to return to individual training.

He has missed the last 12 games across all competitions, and the Gunners have dropped four points in the title race and have been dumped out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in his absence.

They return to Premier League action on Saturday with a trip to King Power Stadium to face Leicester City but could find themselves nine points behind leaders Liverpool should the Reds beat Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Arsenal will continue to challenge across both the Champions League and Premier League going forward this term, but being Saka could be a blow to their chances, and manager Mikel Arteta will be praying he returns to action sooner rather than later.

Injuries have affected the Gunners all through this term and failure to strengthen the team during the January transfer window could have a negative impact on their squad depth.

With nine goals and 12 assists in 21 games to his name, Saka was the most influential attacking player for Arsenal before injury struck, and they need him back in action as soon as possible if they want to end 2024-25 with silverware.